Patent Application
20080012221
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
The primary betting and player card area 12 is used for the placement of a Blackjack wager or other first game component as well as for placement of the player cards. Of course, separate areas may alternatively be provided. The surface 10 also includes a secondary betting area 14, corresponding with each area 12 for a second game component, a dealer area 16 for dealer cards, and a display area 18 for game rules, promotional markings, and the like.
In one operating mode, in order to participate in the game, a player places a first wager at area 12 to participate in the Blackjack game against a dealer. The player may also place a second wager at area 14 to participate in the additional game component. In the preferred operating mode, all wagers are optional, although one or more of the wagers may be compulsory in other operating modes. Additional wagers and wager features can be practiced in the playing modes described herein. Since in the preferred embodiment, all wagers are optional, the use of the terms ‘underlying game’ and ‘side game’ may be interchanged with terms as ‘first game component’ and ‘second game component,’ since a side game played without an underlying game would not be considered a “side game.”
After the player wagers are placed, the dealer deals two cards to the player, which two cards define a player hand, which is consistent with conventional Blackjack. In order to resolve the second wager for the side game, a numerical hand result is determined of the player hand according to a modulo 10 count system, consistent with the principles of Baccarat. That is, in conventional Baccarat, cards having a value of ten (Ten, Jack, Queen and King) count as 0, and card totals exceeding ten are reduced by ten to determine the numerical hand result (e.g., if a player is dealt two cards being a 9 and an 8, the numerical hand result is 7). According to the principles of Baccarat, the best hand is a numerical hand result of 9, and two-card totals of 8 or 9 are called “naturals.”
In a preferred operating mode, the second wager for the side game is resolved by paying a payout if the numerical hand result of the two cards defining the player hand exceeds a predetermined number, such as 7. That is, if the numerical hand result according to the principles of Baccarat results in a natural 8 or 9, a payout is paid on the side wager. Thus, for this operating mode, winning hands for the side wager include:
Payouts for the side wager may vary according to casino requirements, the number of decks in play, and other factors. Examples of other factors may include whether the two cards of the player hand are of the same suit (i.e., Spade, Club, Diamond, Heart). In this context, an exemplary payout may be 3 to 1 for an unsuited winning hand and 5 to 1 for a suited winning hand. Alternatively, with reference to the Table above, payouts may be increased for winning hands including an Ace or winning hands without a Ten, Jack, Queen, King or Ace. In this context, an exemplary payout may be 3 to 1 for a winning hand including a Ten, Jack, Queen or King, 4 to 1 for a winning hand including an Ace, and 6 to 1 for all other combinations.
The allowable limit of the side wager in area 14 is governed by the predetermined game rules. The side wager may be limited to a predetermined multiple of the Blackjack wager, which multiple may be 1.
After settling the side wagers, the dealer proceeds with a Blackjack game. In the preferred operating mode, the Blackjack game is conventional; however, other variant Blackjack games can be practiced with the invention. The Blackjack wagers are settled in accordance with well-known principles and the particular aspects of the Blackjack (or Blackjack variant) game.
In other operating modes, the underlying game may be a game other than Blackjack, although it is preferable that the underlying game utilize numerical hand results determined according to a conventional count system. As such, the game incorporates a side game based on a numerical hand result determined according to a modulo 10 count system and a primary game based on a numerical hand result determined according to a conventional count system. The count systems may also be reversed such that the side game is resolved according to the conventional count system while the primary game is resolved according to a modulo 10 count system. Still further, the player hand may be defined using only one card dealt to the player in combination with at least one non-player card, such as a community card or a dealer card.
The playing modes described herein advantageously retain all of the features and advantages of Blackjack as well as provide an exciting side game without interfering with the card sequence, for enhanced player anticipation and enjoyment. The side game provides an opportunity for players to achieve a high payout in concert with those available in the underlying game. The game thus benefits the player desiring some variety without leaving a conventional Blackjack game. In addition, the games provide casino operators with additional revenue generating features for Blackjack with acceptable volatility. Another feature is that casino embodiments do not require additional space or tables to practice the game methods herein, rather the games can be played with existing tables, preferably modified as illustrated in
In another alternative playing mode, the game may also be played as a Baccarat variant with Baccarat as the underlying game and with a side game based on the principles of Blackjack. In this embodiment, the underlying game is played first according to the conventional rules of Baccarat, and side wagers are resolved based on Blackjack principles, e.g., Tens and face cards count as 10, Aces count as 1 or 11. To participate in the game, players may place a first wager at area 12 to participate in the Baccarat game, and the player may also place a second wager at area 14 to participate in the side game. As in previously described embodiments, all wagers are preferably optional. The first wager on the underlying Baccarat game may be placed as a “Player” bet or a “Banker” bet in favor of the “Player” hand or the “Banker” hand, respectively (the designations used do not necessarily represent the dealer or the actual players).
Baccarat is typically played with eight decks of cards. Each numbered card less than ten is worth its face value, Aces are worth 1, and Tens and face cards are worth 0. The suit does not matter. After all bets are placed, the dealer deals two cards each to the player and the banker. Scoring is based on a modulo 10 count system, where card totals exceeding ten are reduced by ten to determine the numerical hand result (e.g., if a player is dealt two cards being a 9 and an 8, the numerical hand result is 7). According to the principles of Baccarat, the best hand is a numerical hand result of 9, and two-card totals of 8 or 9 are called “naturals.” The scores will always range from 0 to 9 and it is impossible to bust. A third card may or may not be dealt to either the player or the dealer depending on the following rules.
If either the player or the banker has a total of an 8 or a 9 they both stand. This rule overrides all other rules. If the player's total is 5 or less, then the player hits, otherwise the player stands. If the player stands, then the banker hits on a total of 5 or less. If the player does hit then the chart below is used to determine if the banker hits (H) or stands (S).
The score of the player hand and dealer hand are compared, and the winner is the one that is greater (i.e., closest to 9). Winning bets on the banker pay even money less a 5% commission, and winning bets on the player pay 1 to 1. Baccarat also includes a wager option for a tie, with higher payouts such as 8 to 1.
In one operating mode, in contrast with conventional Baccarat, the dealer may deal a player hand to each player area 12, with the player option still to wager on either the player hand, the banker hand or a tie.
After resolving the Baccarat wagers, the side game wagers are determined with the numerical hand results using a conventional count system consistent with the principles of Blackjack as described above. If both the player hand and the dealer hand have a numerical hand result of 21 or lower, the highest hand is the winner; if one hand is 21 or lower and the other hand is greater than 21, the lowest hand is the winner; if both hands exceed 21, the lowest hand is the winner (or, alternatively, the highest hand is the winner), and pushes are tied. A winning player hand side wager preferably pays 1 to 1, and a winning dealer banker hand side wager pays 1 to 1 less a 5% commission. An additional or alternative side wager may be a wager that the hand will tie, with winning tie wagers up to 15 to 1 for a composite payout or higher variable payouts for wagers on a tie with a particular numerical result.
As would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art, the game can be embodied in a wide variety of forms and media including, but not limited to, single player slot video machines, multi-player slot video machines, electronic games and devices, lottery terminals, scratch-card formats, software as well as in-flight, home, and Internet entertainment. In addition, the game can be readily implemented as a computer program product (e.g., floppy disk, compact disc (CD), etc.) comprising a computer readable medium having control logic recorded therein to implement the features herein as described in relation to the other preferred embodiments. The control logic can be loaded into the memory of a computer and executed by a central processing unit (CPU) to perform the operations described herein.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
